NAIROBI, Kenya Mar 4 – Grief hung heavy inside the Africa Gospel Church in Karen, Nairobi, on Wednesday as Naiyanoi Ntutu stood before a hushed congregation to bid farewell to her husband, Emurua Dikirr Member of Parliament Johana Ng’eno.
In her tribute, Ntutu set aside the public image of a fiery legislator and instead spoke of the man she met in her youth as a partner who grew with her through the uncertainties of early adulthood and built a life anchored in love and family.
She described their journey as one that began when both were still discovering themselves, learning responsibility and purpose side by side. In those formative years, she said, Ng’eno became her source of reassurance and courage.
“To my beloved Joha, the husband of my youth, even saying your name carries a lifetime inside it. You were the love of my early days, when everything was still soft and full of possibility,” she mourned.
Her words shifted from their early romance to the home they created together one filled with the laughter of their two children, Taparon and Chesang. She portrayed Ng’eno not as a distant political figure, but as an attentive father who wore his pride openly and cherished simple family moments.
She spoke of a man who knelt to play with his children, who watched them with admiration, and who carried their accomplishments as badges of honour. To them, she said, he was larger than life; to her, he was steady, kind and deeply present.
“You adored them. You held them with pride, you played with them, and you looked at them like they were your greatest accomplishments,” she said.
“In their eyes, you are a hero. In mine, you were a gentle, devoted father with the biggest heart.”
At several moments, her voice faltered as she reflected on the suddenness of his death in the February 28 helicopter crash in Chepkieb, Nandi County. The accident claimed six lives, including that of the pilot and four other passengers.
She described the loss as disorienting like the abrupt silence after music has been playing for years. Yet even in sorrow, she affirmed that what they built together could not be erased. The family they raised, she said, would carry forward his spirit and values.
“Losing you feels like losing the music of my youth, the laughter, the dreams, the simplicity of believing we had endless time. It cannot erase the love, the memories, the family we created. You will always be my Joha. Rest gently, my love. You are forever part of me,” she said.
The memorial service, which honoured all six victims of the crash, drew leaders, colleagues and friends. Ngeno died Saturday, February 28, alongside six others in a chopper crash at Chepkieb in Nandi County.
